The Olympics of Beer Competitions Says the Best American-Style IPA Is From Ohio
The 2023 World Beer Cup awards are here, judging thousands of entries from across the world to find the absolute best beer across over 100 categories. The event switched from bi-annual to a yearly format after 2020, and in 2023 it brought competition from 2,376 breweries.
Though there are 103 gold medal winners in total, no category attracted more entries than the American-Style IPA, with a whopping 412 total entries. The gold medal in the most-competitive category went to an IPA by the name of Head Hunter from Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon outside of Cleveland, OH.
Silver in the category went to Applied Science by Sunriver Brewing Company in Bend, OR, while bronze was awarded to Old West by Craft Coast Beer and Tacos in Oceanside, CA.
The category with the second-most competitors was also IPA-related: 374 entries for Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale. The Great Coneholio by Moonraker Brewing Co. in Auburn, CA, beat out High 9 Double IPA from Highland Park Brewery in L.A., as well as bronze winner Lost to History by Xül Beer Co. in Knoxville, TN.
The competition was fierce across all categories. This year's contest brought entries from 51 countries. The U.S. had the most total entries, followed by Canada, Japan, Germany, and Australia. In all, 272 judges representing 26 countries weighed in on the entries in 18 tasting sessions across nine days. The winners were announced just last night, May 10.
Check out the full list of winners in all 103 categories here.
